Hogwarts Winter Play
by PianoSonata
Summary: An anonymous someone suggested that Hogwarts host a winter play. Unlikely friendships are formed, and their parents' pasts are unraveled as Rose and Scorpius journey through maturity. Will the Hogwarts Winter play promote inter-house camaraderie or not?
1. October Surpises

"For hundreds of years, Hogwarts has been upholding the same Christmas traditions over and over again." Recited Professor Longbottom. "And, for Merlin's sake, the council thought there should be a little change every now and again."'

"Great, just what we need." Groaned Albus Potter.

"So, this Christmas, we decided to hold a new Hogwarts tradition; we shall be performing a Winter Play."

Prof. Longbottom smiled with his mouth dramatically forming a big 'O', expecting the clump of fourth years to cheer and applaud his jolly announcement. To his dismay, however, none reacted as he expected.

"Oh, come now, children! Isn't this a most fantastic thing to happen to Hogwarts?" the Professor waved his arms around like a giant gorilla. "Think of all the costumes and moving lines of your favorite stories! You can become a pirate, an evil sorcerer or the hero wizard, Harry Potter. I know _I_ would've been completely ecstatic at the thought that Hogwarts would be having a play during my day."

"What a complete fag!" Scorpius Malfoy hissed nonchalantly. "This is unbearable."

"Professor," shot Rose Weasley. "Might I ask the _purpose_ of this new tradition? Because frankly, I do not seem to find any."

"It is to promote inter-house camaraderie, just so you know, Ms. Weasley." Replied the beaming professor.

"Right," scoffed Albus. "It's because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are such best friends, are they not?"

"No, it's mainly because of the unceasing rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor, Mr. Potter." Replied the professor, clearly unaware of Albus' intended sarcasm.

Rose smirked to herself. Professor Longbottom is well-loved by his students but he can be _quite_ naïve at times.

"I don't really see how running around in leotards or silk tutus can promote inter-house camaraderie, Professor." Sighed Rose mockingly. "Honestly, we could be doing more important stuff like having hissy fits during a hot quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."

"Well aren't _we _ever the quidditch queen." Said Scorpius.

"Well, I think that this presentation is a perfectly appealing activity as long as we don't run around wearing tutus and leotards." Cried Amy Finnigan.

"Thank you, Amy!" boomed the stout professor. "That's just the right kind of attitude we should all take at new traditions. I'm expecting full support from all the fourth years, is that clear? Because your batch will take the roles for this year's play while the higher year levels will organize the technicalities."

"Groan." Scorpius called out dully.

"Sure."

"Yeah, right."

"I wonder if they'll make it into a musicale."

* * *

"Hey, Rosie!"

"James, will you please stop calling me that?"

"Why?"

"Because it degrades her 'macho' reputation." Sniggered Albus.

"Exactly." Snapped Rose. "It's bad enough to be named after a flower, sheesh!"

"Whatever," James rolled his eyes. "Well, since the sixth years are in charge of choosing the script for the play and I happened to be elected as the President of the committee, I decided I want to do Aunt Luna's play."

"What!?" Rose and Albus both exclaimed.

"Isn't that a psycho-forbidden-love story between a muggle-born and a pureblood?" sputtered Albus.

"Yeah, it's got a lot of gore and action too!"

"That is _the _most horrible play I have ever laid eyes on! How dare you even propose that, James?" Rose cried out.

"What do you mean _propose_? It's already been approved!" James grinned like a fox. "I thought that you would enjoy something that you already knew by heart!"

Albus and Rose looked at each other with wan faces. Never had they ever hated James more than this very day.

The following day, a colored poster appeared in every common room:

_**Hogwarts' Winter Play**_

_**Is proud to present**_

_**Ms. Luna Lovegood's**_

_**Where Fireflies are laid to Rest**_

_**Auditions for the following roles will be held during Fridays and Saturdays at the Great Hall:**_

_**Main Characters:**_

_**Marcus**_

_**Madeleine**_

_**Winston**_

_**Cravinston**_

_**Reminders: Only Fourth year students are eligible to audition. For more information, please look for the President of the Production Committee, James Potter.**_

Every student in the common room was crowding in front of the flashy poster save for two fourth years who looked like they were having the time of their lives _not _looking at the bold poster.

"So, how's the team, this season?" asked Albus.

"They're doing pretty well," replied Rose with a glint in her eye. "I think they're going to shape up just in time for the game against Hufflepuff next Saturday."

"James working you guys off too hard?"

"Nah, he's just having fun with it. I don't think he's ever going to take it seriously. But, Al, when are you going to go back to the team? We need you to bash Slytherin real good, you know."

"I'm not really up for the bashing that much yet," sighed Albus while grabbing a chocolate frog from his pocket. "I think I'll focus on my studies first, my Potions marks aren't looking as great as I hoped them to be."

"Sure, knock yourself out." Laughed out Rose. "Soon you'll find yourself all soft and ivory-skinned like that Malfoy boy. Man, isn't he quite the feminine chap! I bet he manicures his cuticles every week!"

"Now don't you be going mean to neat chaps like him." Chuckled Albus. "Scorp's a decent kid once you get to know him. He just doesn't go work out that much because of his indolence."

"Yeah, that's why he's a wimp. I sure bet that if _he _joins the Slytherin team, the wind will knock him off his broom in two seconds flat!"

The cousins guffawed like hyenas because of Scorpius' apparent 'wimpiness' until Amy Finnigan approached them with an arched eyebrow.

"So, who are you going to audition for?" asked Amy.

"Frankly, Amy, I don't want to take part in this pathetic excuse for a play." Replied Rose.

"That's just too bad. Isn't Luna Lovegood a family friend of yours?" Amy simpered. "I think she wouldn't be too happy seeing her godchildren treating her lovely masterpiece like this."

"Don't look at me," reasoned Albus. "I'll be happy to play a villager or a dog or something."

"Well, when are you auditioning?"

"I don't know, Amy."

"You should audition with me next Saturday, guys!" exclaimed Amy excitedly.

"You know what?" Albus smiled sheepishly. "We would love to audition with you next Saturday but, as you know, there's a quidditch match that day and Rose would just hate to miss it."'

"Of course, the oaf wouldn't last a week without quidditch." Amy smirked with the insult. "But the auditions will be held in the afternoon, there's no way that it'll coincide with your beloved quidditch game."

The prissy blonde walked away triumphantly. She would be auditioning with Albus Potter, what fun!

"Fantastic, Al! Just capital! You just _had_ to say the we would _love_ to audition!"

"I didn't want to be rude to her."

"She's an insufferable cow! That's what she is! How dare she call me an oaf?" Rose punched her fist into her palm.

"I guess we just have to audition for something, since we _are _required to join the play."

"Don't give up so easily, Potter! You know as much as I do that that play is a cursed one."

"Still, I wouldn't want to go home this Christmas and tell Aunt Luna that I didn't even at least try to audition for Cravinston or something. She always loved picturing me as Cravinston."

"Suit yourself." Rose stretched out on the sofa. "But there is no way in hell you can make me budge off my JetBlast after next Saturday's match."

* * *

It was a crisp Saturday morning. The crowd on the high stands was cheering animatedly as red and yellow banners wallpapered the sky.

"Beautiful morning, ladies and gentlemen!" boomed the voice of the commentator, Barney McLaggen. "Perfect weather for opening match this season; Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff!"'

The crowd went wild at the mention of their team names and even more wild when McLaggen started to introduce the players.

"Flying right up the goal posts is Gryffindor's keeper, Torrie Thomas!" McLaggen waited for the wild screaming. "Next is the Gryffindor team's very own captain, Chaser, James Potter!"

James flew around the stands and blew kisses to his admirers. He sure was the popular one. After the other chasers were announced and the crowd was well warmed up, McLaggen announced Rose.

"Next up ladies and gentlemen is the love of my life," the crowd cheered insanely. "The quidditch queen herself, super-human beater, Rose Weasley!"

Rose rolled her eyes at McLaggen's side comment. "Love of his life, my foot!"

When the captains shook their hands, all fourteen players flew up into the air and started the much-awaited match.

A hot bludger was shot from a Hufflepuff beater right at James abdomen. James spat out blood.

"That was uncalled for Roscher!" Rose screamed out at the dirty player. She aimed her next shot at the boy and hit the bludger with her super-human strength. The player's nose bled like a faucet.

"Rose!" James called out. "No more bludgeoning! They might get penalty shots!"

The crowd was too pre-occupied with Torrie's excellent block to see the dirty playing between the beaters.

"Then stop getting hit too, James!"

During the next 15 minutes, James managed to score them 70 points while Hufflepuff was trailing with 30 points.

"Oscar!" James shouted over the noise to the seeker. "Hurry up and get that snitch boy! I need to be at the winter play auditions by 3 pm!"

"Heard you loud and clear, chief!" replied Oscar Creevey.

"Damn!" hissed Rose. She just spotted the snitch beside the Hufflepuff keeper. "Why can't Al replace this loser?!"

Apparently the Hufflepuff seeker just saw her reaction and spotted the snitch as well.

"Creevey! The bloody snitch is right under your bloody nose!" Rose bellowed at the Third year which got him started.

The Hufflepuff's hand was closing in on the snitch when Rose decided to hit it with a bludger. If the crowd wasn't cheering or jeering in the background, one would've heard the loud cracking noise of Jiro Taylor's wrist.

"Oh! That's one way to do it!" McLaggen echoed in his booming voice.

At the split second where Taylor squealed in pain, Creevey managed to take hold of the golden ball and end the first game of the season.

All the Gryffindors cheered like there was no tomorrow. Rose smiled to herself satisfactorily and hi-fived every player upon touching the ground.

"Nice game, Weasley." Cried the other beater.

"You killed them, Rosie!" Lily Potter joined in enthusiastically.

"Seriously, Rose, since you became beater, there hasn't been a single game against Gryffindor where the players haven't been seriously injured." Al shot at the sweaty girl.

"So, since the match is all done and over with, I'll see you two at the great hall this afternoon, shall I?" interrupted Amy. "Oh, and Weasley, make sure you take a shower first."

"It's too bad I can't fire a bludger right at her stingy little face." Remarked Rose as they watched Amy prance away.

* * *

"Okay, so who are you auditioning for?" James inquired at the tough-faced Slytherin girl.

"Uh, obviously there is only one female role for this play." The girl replied.

"Right, right, Madeleine."

A well-decorated stage complete with magical, floating spotlights and self-drawing curtains stood at the farthest side of the Great Hall.

"So, all the fourth years are auditioning, are they?" Lily inquired as they waited outside the Great Hall.

"I guess so; we _are_ required to do so." Rose grumbled with arms crossed.

"Look who's here." They all looked at the direction Al was looking. There stood the pale, blond figure of Scorpius Malfoy.

Amy blushed at the sight of him. Rose sneered at the thought of him in leotards. Al called out at the Slytherin boy.

"Malfoy!"

"Potter." He nodded back.

"Who are you auditioning for?"

"I don't really know, how about you?"

"Cravinston. Easiest role to play." Al replied matter-of-factly.

"Any suggestions for me? My mother keeps sending me owls, pressuring me to land a role in the play. Apparently, she does business with this Lovegood person."

"O, why don't you audition for Marcus," Rose just felt utter pleasure in making Amy uncomfortable. "You would be perfect with Amy here playing Madeleine."

"And I assume you would be auditioning for Winston?" Scorpius interjected.

"Maybe I will, so what?" she shot back.

"Next." Came James' voice from inside the hall.

All four of them followed as the Slytherin girl slid out of the hall.

"So, which one of you wee fourth years will come first?"

"How about we do it in pairs?" suggested Rose with an evil smile. "Amy and Malfoy would love to go first, wouldn't you guys?"

"Rose!" Amy hissed. "Actually James, Rose was just going to audition for Madeleine."

"What?!" Rose cried in disbelief.

"Wicked!" exclaimed James. "This would be great news for the family!"

"Go on, ahead." Al supported. "It's just an audition, it's not like you'll get the part."

"That's a nice way to look at it, Al." Rose replied sardonically.

"Okay, you two," James rubbed his hands together. "Recite Act II, Scene 3 of the play."

Scorpius climbed up the stage with a dull demeanor, followed by Rose who had skepticism in every step. She looked at the evil face of Amy and the mocking expression in Al's face.

"Madeleine," came Scorpius' droning voice. "I would rather have fallen in love with a pack of dancing hippogriffs with rabies than with a witch of your descent."

"You?" said Rose, her eyes darting back and forth from the script she was holding. "You fell in love with me? I never thought that your arrogant self could tolerate my very presence."

"I did not choose to love you."

"Do you really expect me to believe that, Marcus?"

"Truly, I did not. I just found out that all those insults and hatred I harbored for you were rooted from my ever-growing admiration for your beauty and your wit."

"Ever-growing admiration?" Rose started chuckling.

"Get on with it, Rose."

"Okay, okay." Rose continued. "Even if I did have the same feelings for you, Marcus, this is not appropriate. Our families would never allow us."

"Do you?"

"I-I'm not sure. Winston and I are…"

"Winston doesn't love you the way I do, Madeleine. Your relationship is just so conveniently placed that it can't be challenged. But ours, I'm ready to fight for ours, even if you are a mudblood."

"Okay, cut!" James interrupted. "That was great, you guys."

* * *

"What is up with this Marcus character?" Amy said during lunch two days after the audition. "I mean, he is just downright cruel. Saying he loves Madeleine one moment then rubbing it on her face that she's a muggle-born in the next one."

"This play is a disaster." Rose replied.

"I think it's ever so romantic, but the ending is really tragic, to be sure." Lily said in a daze.

"As much I know you would hate me for saying this, Rose, you make a perfect Madeleine." Al remarked with an amused gaze.

"Shut your face Al, hey, look, it's the mighty pureblood himself." Scorpius strode to the Gryffindor table looking flushed with anger with his usually sleek blond hair askew.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Scorpius bellowed at Al. "Tell your brother that there is no bloody way I am going to do this!"

The four Gryffindors peered at the piece of paper Scorpius slammed at their table:

**_Hogwarts' Winter play is proud to present_**

**_This year's main characters for the play_**

**_Where Fireflies are laid to Rest:_**

**_Rose Weasley as Marcus_**

**_Scorpius Malfoy as Madeleine_**

**_Amy Finnigan as Winston_**

**_Albus Potter as Cravinston_**

**_Rehearsals will be held every Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays for the next two months._**

**_Congratulations!_**

"This is outrageous, Potter!" Scorpius looked incredibly silly with his cool all gone off.

"I cannot believe James made me play a man!" Amy whined.

"Hey, Malfoy!" McLaggen threw out casually. "I heard you were playing a girl for the winter play. Suits you well!"

"Aaargh!" Scorpius exclaimed. "Your brother is so dead when I see him."

"Ha! How are you going to do that? Throw a hissy fit or something?!" Rose laughed hysterically.

"Sure Weasley, just because your role suits you oh so perfectly, you big oaf!" Scorpius replied angrily

"That isn't a very nice thing to say!" Lily cried out.

"Bring it on, pretty boy! I can take you!" Rose drew her wand from her sleeve. "You can't even play Quidditch, and now you want to mess with me?"

"Settle down, now!" Professor Longbottom suddenly appeared from behind them. They were really making quite a scene.

"Sorry, Professor, but this little tinker bell here is asking for a bludger on the head straight up."

"Ms. Weasley, lower your wand! Same for you, Mr. Malfoy. This will not be tolerated; your parents will be informed of your misbehavior—"

"Expelliarmus!" Malfoy cried out.

"How dare you disarm a girl?"

"That's no girl!"

"Petrificus Totalus!" Rose shot back.

"That is enough!"

"Professor McGonagall." Everybody turned to the ancient headmistress.

"I am appalled at your behavior Ms. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy. This is nothing but inappropriate! You two will spend detention 7 pm this evening, and you each will lose 20 points from your houses."

"This is just great!" exclaimed Scorpius after the headmistress strode away.

"Nice job, tinker bell." Rose elbowed Scorpius in the chest.

Suddenly, as if his timing was nothing but perfect, James Potter entered the Great Hall.

* * *

"Tell me more about Cravinston, Al."

"Well, Amy, Cravinston is more like the neutral character of the play. He's too entangled with his own worries to notice the blossoming romance between Madeleine and Marcus. He often looks dazed and can't even tell that the sister of Winston, Antoinette, admires him, like crazy."

"Poor Antoinette." Amy sighed.

"Come to think of it, Antoinette was a little bit of a player. She hung out with a couple of guys just so that Cravinston would take notice of her, which he did."

"These characters are insane."

"Don't tell her if you meet her, but Luna Lovegood _is_ insane."

* * *

"So, how's the play doing, James?"

"It's turning out pretty well, I believe, Madame Pam"

"What a twist to make Ms. Weasley play a man and Mr. Malfoy, a woman."

"At first I thought I would make Rose play Madeleine and Scorpius play Marcus, but that way, the secret of the play will be revealed."

"What secret?"

"The truth is, the characters of this play are based on real people, I just owled our Aunt Luna to tell me more about the play and she told me everything about it."

"That's interesting."

"Sure it is. Since before, Aunt Luna has been reading us this story and I never knew it was about these people we actually know. The fact that Rose and Scorpius are playing the characters just makes me feel that this play is going to come to life."

"I'm sure it'll be a success, with you handling it, Mr. Potter."

"Thanks, Madame Pam. Can you put more ice on this bruise, please?"


	2. Improvements

"Insufferable know-it-all!"

"Shut your mouth, ferret face!"

"He's not worth it, Madeleine, let's go."

"Oh, am I not, Cravinston? Then who do you think is? That pathetic Winston!? He's not half the man I am!"

"What are you trying to say, Marcus?"

"Nothing, nothing, I'm not trying to convince Madeleine that I'm a better, more attractive and successful wizard than Winston and that she should leave him. No, I most certainly am not!"

"It's a shame then, because even if you did, I will not be convinced so."

It was a breezy October afternoon and the cast was practicing in an empty classroom because the Great Hall was being fixed for the upcoming Halloween bash.

"Okay, children!" James announced at the crowd of fourth years. "So far, we're still at act I and we've only got a month and a few days to rehearse, so I want you all to memorize your lines by next meeting, alright?"

"The dialogues of this play are killing me!" Rose exclaimed. "I think a week's worth of detention is better than saying these bloody lines."

"Oh, you think bathing hippogriffs is much better than this?" Al inquired curiously.

"Sure she does," Scorpius interrupted with a devilish grin. "Because she can have me all to herself."

Rose threw one of the props across the room. Amy flushed like a tomato.

"Oh, please Malfoy, just because Marcus is in love with Madeleine, doesn't mean _I'm_ crazy for you. You wish!"

"Looks like you two are getting along well now, aren't you." James put an arm on each of their shoulders. "That'll help get you in character for sure."

"Oh, last week's bat on the face wasn't enough for you, James?" Rose taunted.

"Oh, Rose! You don't know how crucial the both of you are to my wee little project." James sneered cynically.

"Yeah, right, James! If the team didn't need you for this Saturday's game, I would knock your brains out with my bat."

Rose picked up her bag and sprinted to the library to finish her research.

* * *

"You didn't tell her the match was cancelled?" Al asked with humor.

"It'll break her heart." James replied dramatically.

"Not to mention your face." Scorpius added.

The library was silent save for a gang of Ravenclaw first years who seemed like they were debating about something. Finally, after a few minutes, a girl with auburn braids approached Rose.

"Um, aren't you playing Marcus in the winter play this December?" she said shyly.

"Er, Yes, that's right." Replied Rose awkwardly.

"I just wanted to say that I love all of Ms. Lovegood's works and I think you'll do a charming job, Ms. Weasley." She blushed and turned to walk away but stopped briefly to hand her a box of treacle tarts. "Oh, this is from my friends."

"Gee, thanks." The gaggle of first years squealed like pigs as they marched towards the exit of the library.

"Looks like you've got yourself a couple of admirers." Scorpius suddenly appeared from nowhere.

"Since I've got female admirers," Rose chuckled heartily. "I bet you got boy first years running around after you, right?"

"Ha-ha, mighty hilarious." He responded in a sarcastic manner. "So, what are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm doing homework."

"I meant this Saturday."

"Duh, Quidditch match. Don't you know anything?"

"I hate to break it to you, but the match was cancelled due to the upcoming storm."

"What?! Since when?"

"Yesterday."

"Why didn't that git tell me it was cancelled!?"

"Beats me."

"That's just capital! More gay rehearsals."

"So, does this mean you're free Saturday morning?"

"Are you asking me out?"

"No," Scorpius did a poker face despite the cold sweat running down his spine. "I just- my father's meeting me at Hogsmeade this Saturday and he asked me to bring someone."

"Wait, isn't your dad that tall blonde dude my dad loathes so much?"

"Cut the crap, Weasley. Can you come or not?"

"Why ask me, anyway? I'm sure he'd love some Slytherin friends of yours."

"Because I want _you _to meet him." Scorpius looked at his feet unconsciously. Rose was startled by the delicate look in his blue eyes.

"Fine." She said brashly. "But I want to see you wear this first."

She pulled out a curly, brown wig from her bag and put it on Scorpius' head.

"Man, you really _do_ look like a chick!" Rose laughed hysterically.

"Okay, you've had your fun."

"Do I need to wear my best dress robe this Saturday?"

"Just try to look like a woman, for once."

"I will try."

* * *

"Curtis!" Rose banged at the dormitory door of Curtis Jordan, one of the chasers in the Gryffindor team and the recent girlfriend of James. "Curtis, open the bloody door!"

"Righty-o, Ms. Quidditch queen!" the door opened to reveal one of the most stylish people in Hogwarts. It pained Rose to go to her but she'd rather have Curtis than Amy.

"Why didn't you tell me this Saturday's match was a no-go?" Rose demanded.

"It is?" she replied in a fake surprised tone. "I had no idea! It must've slipped James mind to tell me."

"Don't play coy with me, Jordan."

"I should tell _you_ the same thing Rose. I know you're not here because of Saturday's game. What is it that you need?"

Probably one of the many reasons Rose was irate of Curtis was her uncanny ability to be clever, athletic and gorgeous all at the same time. It makes her all too insecure about her own qualities.

"Okay, so I'm going to hang out with this guy this Saturday and I need to be all girled up and stuff because his father's going to be there."

"Oh, Rose, you're just ever so honest."

"Well, I would've made an excuse but it's just too hard to think of any. I mean, why else would I want to get dressed up, right?"

"You could've said Armageddon was coming."

"Whatever, Curtis, just help me out on this."

Curtis circled around the red-headed 'female' and rubbed her own chin every now and then. Finally she stopped and sat on her bed.

"Listen carefully now, Rose. I'm going to tell you 5 simple rules which will make you a _real _woman." Rose rolled her eyes. "First off, naturally big and bouncy curls such as yours shouldn't be kept in that horrible bun."

Curtis tapped the rubber band holding Rose's hair with her wand and it fell off, releasing Rose's big hair.

"Second, you should never slouch like that, it's very unflattering." She poked Rose's back, causing her to straighten up. "Third, you shouldn't talk so loud and vulgar because it's impolite for a lady to do so."

Rose scrunched up her nose.

"Fourth, when walking, you should never sway your arms like a gorilla. Don't keep your fists closed, always keep them busy and walk like the floor is made of glass."

"What? Like everything's all delicate and fragile?"

"Lastly, you dress terribly."

* * *

That Saturday, Scorpius and Rose just decided to meet at the Three Broomsticks for lunch because Al and Lily wanted to hang out with her first.

At half past 11, Scorpius was getting anxious with how late Rose had become. His father, Draco Malfoy, sat across the table from him, sipping a glass of Firewhisky.

"So, when is this friend of yours arriving, Scorpius?" he inquired with that smirk which seemed so permanently attached to his face.

"Any minute now," he glanced at his watch. "She's probably on her way right this second."

"Ah, by the way," a spark of interest in his suave voice. "I heard from your mother that you will be doing a play of Luna Lovegood's."

"You heard correctly, father." Replied Scorpius, worried at what question might come next.

"I am truly curious as to what role you have landed." Draco looked at him with a pair of piercing eyes.

"Um-" at that very moment, the door to the pub opened and Rose Weasley stepped in gracefully.

Scorpius' eyes enlarged at the unusual sight; Rose was wearing an innocent powder-blue dress, thick, wool stockings and knee-high boots. Her voluminous, red hair bounced animatedly at her shoulders and her big, round eyes surveyed the bar curiously, making her look like a life-sized porcelain doll.

Scorpius waved his hand at her, showing her that his father had already arrived. She strode quickly to where they were and almost tripped at the pace she was going.

"A Weasley?" Draco eyed his son peculiarly, Scorpius tried to avoid his father's gaze.

"Good day to you, sir." Rose tried to sound as politely as she could.

"And to you Miss-?" Draco Malfoy replied enthusiastically.

"Weasley. Rose Weasley, sir."

"Which Weasley's?" Draco inquired even though he knew the answer.

"Hermione and Ron Weasley's daughter, sir."

Draco started at the mention of his former schoolmates' names.

"Ah, a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rose." Draco surveyed her for a moment and decided. "You look an awful lot like your mother."

"I never knew you and my mother were friends, sir." Rose suppressed a smile; she knew they hated each other.

"Yes, we were, um, how you say, _acquaintances_." Draco grinned sarcastically. "So how is your old man doing these days?"

"Dad's still working for the Ministry, I don't really know much, top secret auror business." In truth Rose _did_ know what her father was doing, she just didn't feel like telling Mr. Malfoy that.

"And your mother?"

"I think she's planning on running for Minister next year, sir."

"Is that so? Well, tell her good luck from me." Draco betrayed a little genuine smile at the puzzled girl.

"I'm sure you can tell her that yourself, Mr. Malfoy, if you happen to come and watch our play this December."

Scorpius' mouth stood agape at the sudden turn of the topic. He was not pleased that Rose brought it up once more.

"Ah, yes, I've been meaning to watch it," Draco rubbed his palms together. "See, my wife and Ms. Lovegood are quite the business partners. Ms. Lovegood has published a considerable number of books in Mrs. Malfoy's publishing outlet."

"How delightful."

"So, might I ask what role you have gotten?"

"Are you familiar of the play, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Certainly! It's one of Ms. Lovegood's most notable failures. My wife has told me all about it."

"Well, I was chosen to play Marcus."

"Truly? That is marvelous! Although, _you _would've made a wonderful Madeleine."

"No, Scorpius is playing her." Scorpius looked dumbstruck.

"What?" Draco looked as surprised as his son.

"Oh, didn't he tell you, sir?" she turned to Scorpius with an evil looked masked with innocence. "I'm sorry if I suddenly told your father, Malfoy. I thought he already knew."

"Rose!" he cried like an injured animal.

"You're playing a woman?" Draco's mouth was twitching uncontrollably. "Well, that certainly is something to tell your mother."

Rose started laughing and soon Draco joined in as well. Scorpius went pink as if he was just slapped on the face.

"I would definitely come to watch your play, Scorpius. Just please do not embarrass me." Draco stood up from the table and was followed suit by the two fourteen year-olds.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you, Rose." He winked meaningfully at Scorpius and whispered at his ear. "She's a nice girl."

"Same here, Mr. Malfoy." Rose extended her hand to shake with the man before he turned to leave.

"You just had to tell my father, didn't you?"

"What's the matter? He was cool with it. Besides, I liked him, well enough. He's a pleasant man." She smiled at Scorpius.

"That's because you share the same evil qualities."

* * *

"So, I heard you had a date with Malfoy last Saturday." James coaxed.

"Have you nothing better to do James? Why don't you tease your own sister for a change?"

"Hey, I'm only curious as to why _you_ of all people would go out with a guy, more importantly, someone you vowed to hate."

"Technically, James, I didn't go out with him," she replied absent-mindedly. "I accompanied him to meet his father."

"Whoa! You met up with Draco Malfoy? Your dad's arch nemesis?"

"Don't make it sound so dramatic, James."'

"Wait 'til uncle Ron takes a load of this."

"Say all you want to him, but _I_ happen think that Mr. Malfoy is a perfectly respectable gentleman. Dad's just acting like a kid, thinking that people don't change even after 23 years."

"Ooh, meeting up someone's dad, that's an even bigger deal than going out with Malfoy." James sniggered like a maniac. "So when are you going to announce your wedding?"

James went on with the rest of the day with a flock of fire-breathing birds after his arse.

* * *

November came with much more snow than they expected that self-heating coats became the trend of the season. Quidditch matches got cancelled consecutively, much to Rose's dismay, causing winter play rehearsals to become as regular as classes themselves. James found a way to get back to Rose for getting his head of hair singed to a crisp by teaching Peeves the Poltergeist a new song:

_Rose and Scorpius, sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!_

_First comes love, second comes marriage, and third comes a baby in a wee, pink carriage!_

Rose learned not to throw forks at Peeves every time he sings that song because it simply went threw him. Instead, she punched James on the nose whenever she heard it.

Scorpius had no problem dealing with the gossip and the rumors that Rose and he were an item because he just loved the stupid look McLaggen's face forms whenever he heard Peeves singing the Rose and Scorpius song. Also, he secretly fancied Rose, and his father approved of her as well.

The winter play posed to be a giant success despite its infamy, because of the interesting line-up of the cast and the combined efforts of the 5th years in costume design and props, the 6th years in production and direction, and the 7th years for backdrop design and magical effects. It also fulfilled its purpose in promoting inter-house camaraderie since everyone was too interested about its details that they didn't care which house provided the information they needed.

One blurry November night, Professor McGonagall sat in her study, waiting for an important visitor. A sudden poof at her fire grate startled the old woman and looked up from her glasses.

"Professor," greeted the forty something man. "All's well, I hope?"

"Ah, yes, of course." She replied. "Your suggestion for a winter play has been a splendid success."

"So the children are doing fine?"

"Surely, they are. I'm just a little bothered by the aggressiveness of your niece, Ms. Weasley. She's been quite a handful since she joined the Quidditch team. Madame Pam has been fixing up Quidditch injuries all season. It's a good thing, matches have been cancelled this month; it'll do her classmates good not to be bludgeoned by her bat once in a while."

"I'll talk to her father, Professor, worry not." He smiled a kind, warm smile.

"Your sons are well. James has done a great job in directing the winter play and Albus even withdrew from the Quidditch team just to brush up on his academics. Lily has been well-behaved too. I just hope her spending too much time with Ms. Weasley will not affect her."

"I'm all fired up for December." McGonagall noticed the white streaks on his jet-black hair.

"Watch out for your health, though. I heard from Professor Longbottom that you're heart isn't doing so well these days."

"_You_ should talk. I'm not the one nearing a hundred years old."

"Just remember if it's a sickness St. Mungo can't cure, stay clear of any muggle remedies; they are nothing but overrated."

"Sure will, Minerva."

"We'll see you soon, Mr. Potter."

* * *

"No, there is no bloody way I am wearing this dress at the winter play!"

"What are you talking about? It suits you perfectly!" Albus remarked as he surveyed Scorpius' slim figure.

"Your waist is so trimmed!" Rose commented as she put her arms around Scorpius' corseted waist to measure it. "Are you sure you're a boy?"

"I never thought a guy could make me this insecure." Amy hissed, looking at her own, untrimmed waist. "I feel my self-esteem slipping away."

"This will surely get you into the Quidditch team next year, I hope." James whispered into Scorpius' ears. "But Rose, _you_ look absolutely dashing!"

"You think so?" asked Rose as she looked at her own, macho, knight-ish get-up.

"Of course, all the ladies will fall for this old chap." Said James referring to Marcus' character.

"I'm quite comfortable I can pull this off, James."

"Are you, now?

"Obviously you're forgetting what happens in Act III Scene 4." Albus supplied.

"It's going to be a stage kiss, right? No worries." Rose shrugged off.

"Or will it?" James silently snickered to himself evilly.

After the many tiring weeks of rehearsing lines and blockings, staging spells and curses that weren't really cast by the actors but by the experienced seventh years, magically sewing 16th century costumes, playing with hair length and colors, conjuring realistic illusions for backdrops, explosions caused by an attempted polyjuice potion and several other magical misdeeds, the winter play was up and running by the end of November.

"A month's worth of Quidditch victories can't compare to the absolute joy and pride I have for this play!" James teared up hysterically like the suave, drama king that he is. "See, Rose, this isn't so bad! Quidditch matches only got us competitive with each other while this play has gathered up all the houses and united them as a school."

"Whatever, James." Rose rolled her eyes irately because she knew that James was right. There never was such a year at Hogwarts like this one. Gryffindors, Slytherins, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs alike visit each others tables during meal times just to get wind of the latest improvements in the play. The higher year levels collaborate with the tasks they were each assigned with. It was almost as if someone cast a spell on them all to join together as one school.

* * *

That early December, Luna Lovegood, the playwright herself, came to visit Hogwarts. She was dazzled by the superior backdrops and costumes and of course, by the interesting cast James Potter came up with.

"Well, James. You have done a superb job, I must say!" said Luna with her unchanging dreamy voice.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Aunt Luna." James replied.

"I never thought that my play would be chosen! What an honor indeed. I'm sure your family would be delighted to see this!"

At that moment, Lily and Rose appeared at the Great Hall.

"Aunt Luna!" Lily exclaimed jubilantly, as she was very close with her godmother.

"Lily, dear! And darling Rose, too! What a pleasant surprise!"

"Hi, Aunt Luna." Rose responded casually.

"I just found out that you would be playing Marcus, of all people."

"Ah, yes. How exciting, is it not?" Luna noticed the dull, sardonic tone in Rose's voice and was baffled.

"Why, do you not know the secret of this play?"

"Secret?"

"James, didn't you tell her?" James shrugged his shoulders. "So, that is why you have not taken an interest in this play. Have you not wondered why James is so enthusiastic about it?"

"Er-Aunt Luna, I don't think it'll do her good to know right before the play. Let's just tell them after." James whispered as softly as he could.

"You mean the Malfoy boy knows not a thing too?" cried Luna in disbelief. "Why, James! This is the reason why they didn't enjoy rehearsing it. Shame on you, James."

"What are you talking about?" Rose demanded.

"Nothing, Aunt Luna's just overreacting, is all."

"Fine, if you don't want to tell them, then don't. I won't force you."

"Please, Aunt Luna, their young hearts can't take it yet."

"Alright, you're the boss. After the presentation, then."


	3. Night of Magic

"Ladies and gents, wizards and witches, Hogwarts' winter play productions is proud to present, a tragedy by Ms. Luna Lovegood, directed by James Potter; Where fireflies are laid to rest."

The audience applauded as a slow, melancholic music enveloped the Great hall and snowflakes seemed to fall from the magical ceiling.

"Not too long ago, when blood was thicker than friendship or love, a witch and a wizard of two, very different ancestry lived in England."

* * *

"Darling!" Hermione spotted her only girl and hugged her. "How I missed you dearly."

"Mum! I thought you would never arrive! Where's dad?"

"Over there with your uncle Harry," Hermione suddenly dropped her voice. "You know how he feels about social gatherings."

"Yeah, I know that, for sure." They both laughed as Ron Weasley, complete with a handle brush moustache, walked towards where they were.

"Rose," he greeted his daughter. "What's this I hear about you and that Malfoy boy?"

"What is it that you heard, father?"

"Whatever it is, I forbid it, you hear?!" Ron looked silly with his red ears and red moustache that the mother and daughter couldn't help but giggle.

"Dad, Scorpius and I are just playing opposite each other in this play."

"That's perfectly acceptable, Ron." Hermione defended.

"Sure, tolerate this Hermione. Things like these should be nipped right in the bud!"

"You're overreacting, honestly!"

"Ron! Stop embarrassing my niece in front of everybody." Ginny Potter interrupted after hi-fiving Rose. "She can date whomsoever she wants as long as they're boys. My poor niece, you're the reason why she's all tomboy, Ron."

"I wonder who else will be coming." Said Rose to her serene-faced mother.

"You'll see." She replied with a smile.

* * *

"Once was a pureblood and the other, a muggle-born. Even before they have met, Fate decreed that they were not meant to be because of their conflicting heritage."

Rose appeared in all her manliness, looking arrogant and noble, stationary while she was levitated onto the stage. Scorpius looked like he was going to throw up.

"What beauty!" cried Marcus. "There is one I have not seen before. Tell me, servant, what is yonder maiden's name?"

A student dressed as a house elf approached Madeleine.

"My master asks of your name, maiden, speak of your reply."

"I do not feel compelled to give what is demanded of me by this master of yours, dear elf. How cruel it must be for you to feel otherwise. Do you want to be set free?"

At this, the audience laughed.

"No, foolish girl, I only want to know your name."

"It is Madeleine." The elf went back to Marcus.

"Her name is Madeleine, sir. Her actions are so peculiar that I feel she is not of proper descent."

"I care not," Marcus said in a dreamy state. "Send an invitation to my ball for I wish to speak with her personally."

* * *

Rose led her parents inside the Great Hall and they were the both of them astounded by the magnificence they beheld.

"This is an excellent piece of charm work!" Hermione remarked. "And you say this was done by seventh years?"

"Hermione! Ron!" Seamus Finnigan called out to his former classmates. "How nice it is to see you 'gain! Me daughter, Amy's in the play too, did you know?"

"Yes, how wonderful."

"Say, where is Harry? I heard he's got 'em heart-"

"Not in front of Rose, Seamus." Ron hissed.

"Oh look, Ron, Cormac McLaggen is here." Hermione interjected amusedly. Ron turned beet red.

"How's it going there?" he winked at Rose. "My son Barney tells me of you a lot, Ms. Weasley."

"Does he now?" Rose faked a smile.

"See now, Hermione, even though it never went well with us, our children are handling it well, aren't they?" McLaggen Sr. chuckled heartily as he patted the back of Ron and Hermione's shoulder before he walked away.

"You used to date Barney McLaggen's dad?"

"It was mainly to annoy your father, it wasn't serious or anything."

"Rose," Ron looked like a boiling pot. "I've just decided you can hang out with the Malfoy kid, just ditch McLaggen's boy, you understand?"

* * *

"A ball!" Madeleine exclaimed.

"Will you be attending it, Madeleine?"

"I'm not sure, Cravinston. What is the purpose of going to this ball? I know that I won't enjoy it with all the arrogant aristocrats covering most of the ground."

"Then I shall come with you, I'm sure we'll find someone that we know."

The scene changed into an enchanting garden filled with little lights. Madeleine enters and gazes at the lights.

"How charming they are." Said Marcus as she approached the lady.

"O yes, fireflies are." Madeleine replied. "When I was a young girl, I used to play with them in our garden. i found them so interesting because my mother used to tell me that when a firefly dies, they turn into a star in the sky."

"That's a fascinating way to look at it."

"Now, I wonder, where really are fireflies laid to rest?"

"I wouldn't know, but look closely, these aren't fireflies, these are fairies."

"What a silly mistake then." They laughed together and looked into each other's eyes.

"Would you like to come inside?"

"I would follow."

The scene changed into a dark, candle-lit chamber.

"Where is Lady Madeleine, servant?" asked Marcus.

"I saw her enter with a Lord Cravinston, sir."

"Cravinston? What is she doing with _him?_"

"You know Lord Cravinston, sir?"

"Of course, he's famous for slaying the evil sorceress Helga the Horrible."

"What? A fellow wizard slaying his own kind? Why he is not better than any common muggle."

"Is that what you think of my friend, sir?"

"Lady Madeleine."

"Remind your servant to hold his tongue about these matters, sir. For his behavior is unacceptable."

"You are no better than I in this house, you filthy little mudblood!" spat the house elf.

"Let's go Madeleine; this ball is not for sane people." Cravinston and Madeleine strode away, looking daggers at Marcus and his servant.

"She's a mudblood?" Marcus stood with his mouth ajar.

"Did I hear you say mudblood? A mudblood in my manor?"

"No, father, there is none."

"How repulsive! They should be hunted down, you hear me, Marcus?"

The scene changed into a scene where Madeleine and Winston are sitting down on a mound of grass in a field. Marcus gallops around on his horse.

"Look here, filths of different natures have come together. I'm sure she'd be happy to have a pureblood like you, Winston, after all, she _is _a mudblood!"

"Lay off, Marcus, before I'm forced to curse you!" Winston drew his wand from his sleeves.

"You better watch yourself before I catch you off-guard, Winston."

* * *

"Harry," Hermione hugged her beloved friend tenderly. "Congratulations on the giant success of your suggestion. I heard that it _did _promote inter-house relations this year. That's great isn't it? Who would've thought this day at Hogwarts would come?"

"Well, the problem is not really with the children, as I have observed. It is with some parents who are—" he turned to Ron who was looking like he could kill as he watched Rose arrange the wig on Scorpius' head. "A little reluctant with letting their children mingle with people whom they have very bad prejudices towards."

"Yes, exactly! I heard from James that the play he picked was perfect for diminishing the underlying prejudices with blood and stuff."

"Speaking of prejudices, look at the man who's full of them, Malfoy!" Harry called out. "Fancy seeing you here. How's the business doing?"

"Potter, I didn't know you were still well enough to roam about."

"It's not like I lost my legs, you know."

"Granger," he remarked as he saw Hermione there.

"It's been Weasley for nearly twenty years now, actually."

"Oh, my bad." He patched up. "Old habits die hard, I must say. I have met your daughter, by the way. She is a charming young lady and a friend of my son, Scorpius."

"Good thing you don't teach your children about pureblood arrogance." Ron interrupted.

"Ah, Weasley, still haven't changed, I see." Draco drolled on as he eyed Ron's moustache. "I see you have grown quite fond of the bushy look."

"How did you meet Rose, Draco?" Hermione inquired casually.

"Scorpius brought her to the Three Broomsticks when I came to visit him last October. I told him to bring a friend along."

"So," Hermione looked at the blond figure curiously. "Rose and Scorpius, huh?"

"She says she's just playing opposite the Scorpius kid," he eyed Hermione lethally. "She's too young for these things, Hermione."

"I met Viktor Krum when I was 14."

"Yes, tell us more, because we just love hearing about your past boyfriends." Ron remarked, Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Weasley." Said Malfoy before he turned to join Rose and his son.

"Malfoy hasn't changed a bit." Ron spat out.

"No, Ron, _you_ haven't changed a bit." Hermione scolded her husband. "When are you going to start acting like a father to Rose and stop being an obsessed psychopath about her life? She's a teenager! I'm sure you felt annoyed too when Molly poked her nose in your business when you were a boy."

Ron did what any other respectable forty year-old would do, he pouted.

* * *

"You toad! Leave Winston alone! I have had enough of your arrogance, Marcus! Expelliarmus!"

"How dare you shoot a curse at me!?"

"How dare I? How dare you walk these grounds to insult and hurt us for no reason at all?"

"Insufferable know-it-all!"

"Shut your mouth, ferret face!"

"He's not worth it, Madeleine, let's go."

"Oh, am I not, Cravinston? Then who do you think is? That pathetic Winston!? He's not half the man I am!"

"What are you trying to say, Marcus?"

"Nothing, nothing, I'm not trying to convince Madeleine that I'm a better, more attractive and successful wizard than Winston and that she should leave him. No, I most certainly am not!"

"It's a shame then, because even if you did, I will not be convinced so."

"You're better off without him!"

"Stop fraternizing with my bride-to-be, Marcus!"

"I am doing no such thing!

"All of you just stop!" Cravinston panted heavily. "I have been putting up with you people too much that I have failed to show Lady Antoinette how much I care for her."

"You are in love with my sister?"

"Aye, Winston that I am. I do not care what you think anymore, I do not care what people would think of us. I just know one thing; I love her and I am ready to fight for her. I would like to abandon this silly thing between us for it is wasting my precious time."

Madeleine, Winston and Cravinston exit the scene, leaving Marcus dramatically in the spotlight.

"Cravinston, despite the fact that I know I will loathe myself for saying so, you are completely right! My own love shouldn't be suppressed just because Madeleine is a muggle-born and I, a pureblood. I shouldn't care what Father says."

Rose stared at the disbelieving audience. Their faces were dumbstruck by Marcus' confession.

"Oh, cruel Fate!" Marcus cried out. "Why must I fall in love like this? I have made her hate myself! If only I have told her the first time I saw her how taken I am with her, then we would have had time to be with each other. She would have had time to learn to love me and not be with that Winston!"

The audience had their mouths hanging open by this time.

* * *

"Rose." Scorpius called out.

"Yes?"

"I'd like you to meet my mother." Scorpius reluctantly said. Obviously, his mother persuaded him to be introduced to Rose.

"Good evening, Mrs. Malfoy." Said Rose in her fake, lady-like manner.

"Good evening, dear, Scorpy has told me a lot about you." Rose suppressed a guffaw at the mention of the name 'Scorpy.'

Mrs. Malfoy looked like a very pleasant woman. She was not like Mr. Malfoy who had a certain austere air to him. She reminded her of her Aunt Luna who had a little eccentricity to her personality.

"I'm sure you and _Scorpy_ have talked a lot about that play, then, ma'am." She managed to reply. Scorpius looked daggers at her.

"To be honest, no. He does not talk about the play at all in his letters." Mrs. Malfoy smiled a little. "But his father has mentioned that he was playing a woman, I'm sure that was the reason why he didn't want to talk about it."

"Oh, no doubt it is." Rose replied.

"You're a very pretty girl." Mrs. Malfoy suddenly remarked from out of the blue. "You look like that woman my husband used to have a picture of before I married him."

"Really? That's interesting." In fact it really was interesting for Rose because she remembered when Mr. Malfoy said she looked a lot like her mother. Mr. Malfoy used to have a picture of her mother?

"So, where are you spending Christmas, Rose, dear."

"Same as every year, at grandma and grandpa's."

"That's nice," Mrs. Malfoy thought. "We're having a little party ourselves on the twenty-sixth. How would you like to come?"

"I think I would ask my parents for permission first, Mrs. Malfoy, but I would love to come."

"That's great; Mr. Malfoy would be delighted with your presence there," Mrs. Malfoy suddenly lowered her tone. "Especially since his parents need a little amusement every now and then. Poor old folk, Lucius and Narcissa have been stuck inside their manor for a decade now."

"Lucius Malfoy?"

"Don't worry, dear, he's as harmless as a fish now." Mrs. Malfoy laughed girlishly. "They're beautiful people, really, if they just kept their mouths shut."

"Rose." Draco suddenly arrived with a glass of eggnog in one hand. "How lovely it is to see you again."

"Mr. Malfoy," Rose was becoming tired of her acting. "Mrs. Malfoy was just telling me of your party on the twenty-sixth."

"Oh, yes, it would be marvelous if you'd attend."

"I'll be sure to ask mum and dad." Rose looked at Scorpius. He looked like a tamed puppy whenever his parents are around. She found that amusing. "But how about _Scorpy?_ Can _he_ come to our party? Just for a little bit, I know he'd want to spend Christmas with you."

"Certainly, if Weasley would allow it." Draco gestured at Ron.

"I'll make sure he does." Rose raised her eyebrow at her father's flaming face.

* * *

"Is all that true, Marcus?" Madeleine re-entered the stage.

"Madeleine!"

"Is this why you kept tormenting Winston and me?"

"Madeleine, I would rather have fallen in love with a pack of dancing hippogriffs with rabies than with a witch of your descent."

"You fell in love with me? I never thought that your arrogant self could tolerate my very presence."

"I did not choose to love you."

"Do you really expect me to believe that, Marcus?"

"Truly, I did not. I just found out that all those insults and hatred I harbored for you were rooted from my ever-growing admiration for your beauty and your wit."

"Even if I did have the same feelings for you, Marcus, this is not appropriate. Our families would never allow us."

"Do you?"

"I-I'm not sure. Winston and I are…"

"Winston doesn't love you the way I do, Madeleine. Your relationship is just so conveniently placed that it can't be challenged. But ours, I'm ready to fight for ours, even if you are a mudblood."

"There!" Madeleine said abruptly. "That is the reason I am not sure of my feelings. My heart was softened by your confession but hardened once again with your overwhelming pride and arrogance towards my blood. Is that all that matters? Blood? Even if I _was_ born of muggles, I am as magical as any witch or wizard of my age!"

"Alas, my father has taught me nothing but of these prejudices!"

"Look!" Madeleine pulled out a dagger from her stays and pierced her skin with it. Scarlet blood trickled down her arms, an effect created by the seventh years. "My blood is just as red as yours! No difference! How can you say that _your_ blood is purer than mine?"

The audience hung on intently to every line they said. Draco Malfoy, for some reason, looked uncomfortable in his seat.

"Madeleine I-" Marcus slowly approached her and touched the 'wound'. "My father always said that your blood had poison to it."

At that moment, Winston suddenly appeared and saw Madeleine's blood dripping on the floor. He saw Marcus touching the wound and was thoroughly angered.

"How dare you wound my beloved Madeleine? You, sir, are a cur! I challenge you to a wizard's duel!"

"If it's a duel you want, then it's a duel you will get!" they started firing up spells as the seventh years made the illusions of the supposed 'attacks'.

"Men! What is this madness?" Cravinston entered with Antoinette in his arms. "Anne, comfort Lady Madeleine as I silence these beasts."

"Lady Madeleine, are you alright?"

"Yes, Antoinette. Oh, Cravinston might get hurt!"

"Stop this madness, you fools!" Cravinston cried out. "How dare you duel in front of a lady?"

As Cravinston tried to separate the angry bulls, a stray curse hit him square on the chest. The audience all gasped at Cravinston's fall.

"Cravinston!" cried the ladies. Antoinette and Madeleine approached the limp form of Cravinston. The two men stopped firing curses and looked at the scene.

"You two are fools!" Antoinette cried.

Everyone mourned for Lord Cravinston's death.

* * *

"Mum, dad!" James called out. "You should all come and sit now, the show's about to start."

"James, where's Al?" Ginny asked.

"He's in the dressing room now, preparing."

"Is that so? Then we should all find seats now, shouldn't we?" Harry said with a good-natured smile.

"Harry! Ginny!" Luna Lovegood appeared through the crowd.

"Luna, how splendid it is!" Ginny kissed her old friend on the cheek.

"I am sure you'll be mightily surprised by what James has put up!" Luna grinned dreamily.

"Oh, there's my beloved brother!" Ginny suddenly spotted Ron and Hermione with Rose.

"…and don't you let me catch you talking with that man again!" Ron scolded.

"Dad, Mr. Malfoy's my friend's father. How can I not talk to him?"

"Ron, stop your nonsense!" Hermione scolded back. "I've been meaning to ask you, Rose, dear. Where's your brother? I have not seen him since I got here."

"He's been too busy to hang with me, mum. Ravenclaws are such snooty kids." Rose remarked, seeing as she rarely saw her brother. "Ask Lily, maybe _she_ hangs around Hugo."

At that moment, Lily approached their crowd.

"Lily, have you seen Hugo around?"

"He's been busy concocting potions for the past few months. I think his ambition is to be a potions master someday." Lily giggled. "But we know that won't every happen."

"Was he the one who caused the polyjuice potion explosion last month?"

"Yup."

"Lay off him. He's having his fun." Ron reasoned out.

"How come _he_ gets to do what he wants? That's unfair, dad!" Rose pouted.

"Rose, what are you still doing here?" James demanded. "The show's going to start in ten minutes!"

"Oh, shoot!" Rose ran towards the backstage to change into her costume.

* * *

The curtain opens to Cravinston's funeral. Marcus approaches Madeleine.

"I am sorry that I have hurt you, Madeleine. I was just driven mad by the knowledge that I can't have you. Now, I realize that it wasn't because of your blood, but because of mine. I am unworthy to love you.

"Marcus-"

"Let this parting kiss close this chapter in our lives." Rose pulled Scorpius' chin close to her lips, _good thing we have the same height. _"and let this love be put to where fireflies are laid to rest."

At that split second where their lips were to touch, a cloud of smoke enveloped the stage and the sound of the narrator's voice boomed.

"With that, Marcus realized that love and friendship _are _thicker than blood. He has rid himself of that silly prejudice and married another woman. Madeleine married Winston and they continued to live peacefully."

The curtains drew itself and the audience applauded the magnificent play.

* * *

The audience sat down excitedly as the curtains opened to begin the play.


	4. The Holidays

Scorpius heaved a sigh. That was nothing like he ever experienced. The moment he stepped out of their fire grate, the more he felt the difference between the Weasley cottage and the Malfoy Manor. He sat down on a velvet couch and pondered on the goings-on of the day.

At half-past eight, he awoke to the smell of ginger bread and peppermint. Upon opening his eyes, he heard the loud snores of Al and Hugo since they were all sharing a room at the Weasley's. The Weasley's cottage was unlike anything he ever saw. It wasn't shabby but nor was it as elegant as their manor. It was cozy and spacious for a reason; to accommodate the large Weasley clan.

Scorpius put on his green and red socks; something given to him by Al, and an oversized sweater over his pajamas. It was the strangest thing ever. He had never slept in somebody else's house before. What was even stranger was how he slept through the noise made by the arrival of several other visitors the night before.

The door to their room suddenly burst open and in came Rose and James. Rose was already dressed for the day while James, like him, just put a sweater over his pajamas.

"Wake up, sleepyheads!" James threw pillow to his brother's and cousin's heads. "Breakfast's ready."

"Five more minutes!" Hugo groaned unconsciously from his bed and hugged the pillow to his face.

"You slept okay?" Rose asked Scorpius as he slid his feet inside a pair of furry slippers.

"Surprisingly, yes." He answered back.

"Of course," Rose said matter-of-factly. "You got the most comfortable room in the house.

"Come on, you guys! You have to take a load of that apple pie!" James insisted as if the end of the world would come if they didn't taste the pie.

Since Al and Hugo were too lazy to get up, the three of them went down to the dining area where it was the first time Scorpius saw a big round table where there were actually people around it.

"Morning!" Rose greeted everyone. Ron shot Scorpius a dirty look. When Ginny saw him, she slapped the back of his head while he was drinking, causing his moustache to be soaked with milk.

"Come, Scorpius, dear, have some cinnamon rolls and apple pie." Ginny smiled motherly at him. "Don't be shy, just make yourself comfortable."

Scorpius sat at the table next to James, who was introducing him to everyone.

"There's Uncle Bill and his wife Aunt Fleur!" James recited as he pointed to the couple. Scorpius' eyes widened at the sight of Bill's scarred face. "Ah, there's cousin Victoire, their daughter, and here's Teddy Lupin, Victoire's fiancé."

"Hey!" Teddy greeted. "So you're the famous Scorpius who played Madeleine! Too bad I didn't get to watch the play."

Scorpius just laughed nervously.

"Here's Uncle Charlie." James pointed to a big-bellied old man. "He used to tame dragons."

"Cool." Scorpius remarked.

"My other uncles are going to arrive tomorrow morning, so that's just it for today."

"So, how's your father these days, Scorpius." Harry attempted at a conversation.

"Well," Scorpius swallowed some apple pie. "I know his trades in the United States and France are going smoothly. He's planning to invade muggle technology, according to mother."

"You hear that Arthur? The Malfoys are going to bring muggle technology to the wizarding world, isn't that delightful?" Harry remarked at the ancient wizard who was just starting to doze off.

"Outstanding, yes!" Arthur Weasley clapped his hands.

At that moment, Molly and Hermione Weasley emerged from the kitchen carrying a batch of hot porridge. Scorpius surveyed Mrs. Weasley (the younger one); Rose really _did_ look a lot like her.

"Goodness!" Molly Weasley exclaimed. "For a second there, I thought young Draco Malfoy was here to join us for breakfast."

"It's Scorpius, Molly, Malfoy's son." Hermione corrected.

"Why, that's lovely. It seems like it was only yesterday when _you_ were cursing each other around when you were kids. They weren't very friendly then." Molly noted to Scorpius.

"Scorpius and the kids happen to be good friends, Molly." Harry remarked.

"Well, _your_ kids are hardly enemies with anyone. Especially sweet, little Al. Where is that boy, anyway?"

"Still sleeping." Rose replied. "Let me help you with that grandma."

"Everyone," Ginny suddenly called the attention of the family. "Is it me or did that play last week seem like it was familiar? I mean the plot was hilarious, but the characters and their lines? They seem all too real."

Scorpius and Rose automatically looked at each other; they remembered the day James told them all about the play.

* * *

"Okay, since Aunt Luna obliged me to tell the lot of you about the secrets of the play, I will." They were all sitting around the empty Gryffindor common room the morning after the presentation (most of the students already went home). James stood while Rose, Albus and Scorpius sat at the comfortable armchairs near the fire grate.

"What's this about?" Rose sullied.

"So, the thing is," James smiled like a Cheshire cat. "The characters from the play we just did last night are based from real people."

"They are?" Albus blurted out.

"Yes, according to Aunt Luna." The expressions on their faces weren't what James expected. "Alright, listen carefully to the description of each character. Cravinston is a man with jet black hair and green eyes; he is _famous_ for slaying an evil sorceress. Sound familiar?"

"He sounds like your dad." Rose decided.

"Exactly!" James snapped his fingers. "That's because Aunt Luna _did _base Cravinston on dad!"

"So you got me for it?" Al inquired.

"Next, Winston is a jealous red-head who can't control his temper. Madeleine is a know-it-all brunette who is a _muggle-born!_"

"Wait, that's dad and mum!" Rose looked horror-struck.

"Your mum's a muggle-born?" Scorpius started turning pale. "That leaves Marcus to be—"

"An arrogant prick whose father led him to believe that muggle-borns aren't real witches and wizards."

"Bloody hell!" Rose vulgarly ejaculated. "Do you mean to tell me that our parents, Scorpius' dad and my mom, used to be lovers?!"

"Unbelievable!" Scorpius interjected. "It all fits too well. Rose looks like that woman in my dad's old wallet and Rose looks exactly like Mrs. Weasley. This play was to reveal our parents' history?"

"Slow down, cowboys!" James was satisfied by their all-is-chaos exclamations. "It's not exactly like that. Aunt Luna explained it all to me. She told me that it was only her assumption that Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger used to have _something _between them. So, she wrote this fictional play during the early months of her fifth year. Ten years later, she found the play again and decided to publish it. The plot was so dismantled and wobbly that it failed miserably, but that was only because she didn't make the characters fit each other, she made a fantasy between the four people she met at Hogwarts."

"So, Antoinette was supposed to be mum?" Al asked curiously.

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"Wait, you told us she wrote this during her fifth year." Rose said abruptly.

"Yes."

"Meaning she didn't know that mum and dad would actually get married."

"That's the beauty of it. She made this wild guess of who ends us with whom and she was right!" James started chuckling animatedly. "Save for the part where Cravinston dies. Aunt Luna secretly thought that dad would die in the war against that Voldemort dude."

"Well, Aunt Luna has got quite some divination skills." Al remarked.

"Haha! She was right! If we _did_ know that this play was a fiction about our parents then we would've enjoyed acting it up immensely."

"Don't tell your parents, though, Aunt Luna might get in trouble." James reminded them sternly.

"Still, what about the photo of that lady who looks like your mum, Rose?" Scorpius interrupted. "The one my mum was telling us about?"

"Let's leave it at that Scorp, let's leave it at that." Rose laughed her boyish laugh heartily. She had had enough of her parents' history for the day.

* * *

"That's just because Aunt Luna is a marvelous writer, Aunt Ginny!" came James to the rescue. Scorpius sighed in relief.

"Are you up for a game of Quidditch after this?" Rose invited.

"Quidditch?" the Weasley clan looked at him suspiciously; almost all of them were superb Quidditch players.

"You can borrow Hugo's CrashStar 800. He rarely uses it." Hermione announced.

"What kind of brooms do you have at home?" Rose asked intently, although she knew Scorpius wasn't much of a Quidditch player.

"I don't fly out much."

"Nonsense!" Harry joined in. "Malfoy was an excellent flyer, not much of a seeker but excellent flyer, yes."

Scorpius spent the rest of the morning playing Quidditch with Al, Rose and James. Their qualities were equally balanced; both James and Rose were good at scoring goals while Scorpius and Al were not so great at blocking. Al reasoned out that, as a seeker, he never guarded goal posts. At half-past eleven, Ron and Ginny Weasley went out to watch their children play. Lily and Hugo were eyeing them from their room as they concocted some kind of potion.

"That's no way to block a goal, boy!" Ron called out to Scorpius from the bleachers.

"Oh, Ronald! He reminds me so much of you when _you _were keeper of the Gryffindor team. _Weasley is our king!"_

The players in the air broke out laughing.

"How I miss playing Quidditch!" Ron cried out.

"We haven't played for nearly twenty five years, haven't we?" Harry suddenly came from the house with Hermione carrying sandwiches and orange juice on a tray.

"How about you children come and eat some lunch first?" the four players grabbed a sandwich, suddenly realizing their hunger after the exercise.

"Still think the old bones' not rusted yet?" Ron asked his best friend.

"Want to find out?" Harry returned.

"Sure do!"

"Children, we're going to need your broomsticks."

After finishing their meal, the four teenagers left the other four teenager-wannabes to play a round of Quidditch. The old team being Hermione and Harry versus Ginny and Ron. They found out there wasn't much difference than before save for their creaking backs and aching knees.

By 1 pm, the teenagers decided that their parents aren't going to return their brooms to them anytime soon so they decided to play a game of checkers. Rose was good at it. Scorpius played decently, but Al was terrible at it.

"Man, Al! You suck eggs at this game!" James exclaimed as he and Rose watched Al play against Scorpius.

"Shut up, James! You're no better at it than I am!" Al blurted out in frustration.

"Yeah, James! I beat you in three consecutive games, who are you to talk?" Scorpius demanded.

"At least I'm an attractive and top-notch Quidditch player." James joked about. "The ladies aren't going to care whether I can win a game of checkers or not; girls aren't really that good at board games."

"Hey!" Rose protested. "_I _happen to be the greatest chess player in this room right now!"

"Well, Rose, you're kind of a dude." James ducked as a shoe flew right onto his head.

The rest of the day went on well. Scorpius learned a lot about things. He learned how to de-gnome a garden('_Are you sure they're not poisonous?')_, he listened to Arthur Weasley's stories about how much he dueled with his grandfather back in the day (_'I'm sure he only dueled with him half as much as what he said. He tends to exaggerate.' Said Molly.) _Harry showed them the old photographs they had when they were teenagers. ('_Albus is a carbon-copy of you, dad!' according to James.) _Rose even showed him the large collection of books her mother had inside a small magical purse. By the time all the Weasleys had sat down once again in the round table to eat their Christmas feast (one of which Scorpius helped to prepare) Scorpius felt like he was part of their family. Their big, warm and jolly family.

After eating, he said farewell to everyone and reminded Rose of the party she was to attend on the twenty-sixth. Everyone smiled back at him, apparently forgetting that he was the son of their once sworn enemy Draco Malfoy, and the grandson of the former Death Eater Lucius Malfoy. Yes, all was well and prejudices where forgotten.

The green tongues of flames ate him up upon the words 'Malfoy Manor' escaped his lips.

_

* * *

The manor was empty_, he remarked after he finished recounting the events of the day. He assumed that his father was still at work. His mother was probably still at the Witch Salon. He remembered that his grandparents were in the study (they rarely ever go out), but he didn't consider them much human, anyway.

Scorpius sank in his couch, pondering to himself. How he wished that his grandfather told him tales about his youth, and that his grandmother would ask him to cook some Yorkshire pudding with her. How he wished that his father would play Quidditch with him every now and again, or that his mother would ask him if he slept well. He always thought his life was perfect before he spent time at the Weasleys.

"Maybe this is the reason why purebloods are arrogant and conceited," Scorpius told himself. "We grow up in bloody boring families."

As Scorpius changed into his night clothes and brushed his teeth, the hype of the day slowly ebbed from his mind. If Rose and Al were with him, he would've stayed up late talking about how good dinner was, when he would join the Slytherin Quidditch team, and probably about whether or not he could spend the next Christmas with them again. With that thought in mind, he slid in his smooth silken sheets and fell asleep.

* * *

Scorpius was very worried. It was the morning of the twenty-sixth of December and the Manor was being prepared for their usual post-Christmas party. But it was a different one because Rose Weasley was coming to join them. His eyes bulged at the thought of Rose stepping inside their Manor. His stomach did somersaults at the very idea of Rose talking to the children of her parents' business associates.

It was a formal party. Men were wearing the latest style of dress robes which looked like long, muggle suits. Women wore fancy fur over their dress robes and laughed their fake laughs. Scorpius sat in a corner with a long face; adult parties bored him to death.

"O, little Scorpius!" an old lady with a feathered hat pinched his pale cheeks. "I remember when you were still a boy. You're all grown up now!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" followed a bearded man. "How's it going, teenager!"

"Ah," Scorpius sighed heavily. "Great aunt Matilda, Uncle Geoffrey. What a _pleasant _surprise."

"We missed you!" Aunt Matilda gave Scorpius a slobbery kiss on each cheek. "You kids grow up so fast!"

"O Aunt Matilda!" Mrs. Malfoy called the old lady's attention.

"Mum!" cried Scorpius, thankful for finally being saved from his great aunt's clutches. "Merlin's beard!"

"Leave Scorpius be, he's waiting for a lady friend."

"A lady friend, huh." Uncle Geoffrey winked as he stroked his beard. "Someone we should know?"

"Uh, no-not really, sir." Scorpius cast his mother an evil look.

"When she arrives, make sure you introduce us!" Aunt Matilda strode away with his son.

"Great, mother." Scorpius turned to his mother. "You couldn't have just kept Rose's existence a secret from those two psychopaths!"

"Sorry, sweetheart," Mrs. Malfoy smiled sweetly. "It suddenly slipped my mind. Maybe you should give Rose a tour around the Manor so she won't get inconvenienced, okay?"

"Anything to keep her away from Uncle Geoffrey's sight."

"You should wait for her in the lobby so she won't be spotted."

Scorpius sat at his usual couch in front of the fire grate, waiting for Rose to floo in. after 7 ½ minutes of waiting, the fire grate filled with green flames and out came the red-headed figure of Rose Weasley.

"Oh, hullo Scorpius." Greeted Rose as she stepped out of the fire grate, brushing ash off her shoulders.

"You-you look stunning." Scorpius absent-mindedly remarked, looking at Rose's forest-green dress. It was simple, innocent and fresh; plus, the combination of the green dress and her red hair made her look festive and Christmassy.

"Er, thanks." Rose was taken aback by Scorpius' sudden compliment. "You don't look half bad yourself."

An awkward silence took hold of them until Scorpius remembered why he was sent to the lobby.

"My mum asked me to give you a tour around the Manor first."

"Why is that?" Rose asked curiously.

"We want to keep you safe from some, er, annoying relatives." Scorpius cleared his throat. "They're going to leave soon, don't worry."

"In that case, I'd be happy to take a tour, Mr. Malfoy." Rose put on a haughty air.

"Well, shall we, Ms. Weasley?" Scrorpius extended his arched arm to Rose.

"I'd be delighted, dear sir." Rose took his arm as she chuckled at their pompous behavior.

They climbed the grand, carpeted staircase arm in arm, with Rose admiring all the portraits of the ancient house; their house was more modernized.

"These paintings are marvelous!" Rose marveled. "They must be at least fifty years old. Who _is _this lovely young woman?"

Rose looked at the moving, body-length portrait of a bored-looking young woman with long, silvery blonde hair. She was sitting in a poufy armchair with her long, slender limbs hanging from a study table.

"That's my grandmother, Narcissa Malfoy," Scorpius looked at the high cheekbones of the lady who rolled her eyes at him. "She was still Narcissa Black when that portrait was done."

"Black?" Rose repeated. There was something familiar about that surname.

"Yes, and that's my great Aunt Bellatrix." Scorpius pointed at a woman with heavy-lidded eyes and dark hair.

"There's something about this woman," Rose looked into the dark, frowning eyes of the woman in the portrait. "Something, melancholic, yet romantic and cynical at the same time."

"Sure there is," Scorpius smirked, making him look like Draco Malfoy Jr. "She's a mass murderer. Our family used to serve that Dark Lord psycho twenty- thee years ago. I'm ashamed to have such relatives."

Scorpius drew a curtain across Bellatrix's angry face. He smirked at the displeasure in his dead relative's expression.

"Here's a portrait of you Scorpius," Rose approached the large framed portrait behind Scorpius. "At least, it looks an awful lot like you, but the portrait looks so withered."

"That's my father, actually." He corrected.

"You're like Al and Uncle Harry. You each look like a clone of your fathers." Rose laughed heartily.

"Rose," Scorpius looked into her eyes.

"Yes?" Rose replied, not taking her eyes off the remarkable portrait of Draco Malfoy, some thirty years ago.

"Do you think I'm like my relatives?"

"Huh?"

"Dark, cruel and have criminal tendencies?" Rose turned to Scorpius sympathetically.

"Of course not." Rose took hold of his hand. "Just because you're related to them doesn't mean you should be like them. You're your own person; you can decide whoever you want to be, understood?"

"I needed that." Rose smiled at him until she realized that she was still holding his hand. She quickly pulled away and blushed tremendously.

"What?" Scorpius chuckled, apparently amused at Rose's reaction. He pulled Rose's hand back into his and kissed it. Rose turned beet red. "I never knew you were so—"

Scorpius chose not to finish the sentence and took hold of Rose chin, slowly pulling her lips closer to his. At that brief moment when their lips were a millisecond away from touching, Mrs. Malfoy's voice called for them.

"Scorpius!" her approaching sound echoed, the two teenagers suddenly pulled away from each other. "Merlin, I've been looking all over for you! Aunt Matilda and Geoffrey have gone now; you can bring Rose into the party."

"Sounds good to me." Rose was first to recover from their anxious trance.

"Splendid, dear." Mrs. Malfoy smiled charmingly. "By the way, you look lovely in that dress!"

"Thank you, ma'am." Rose mustered a reply. They all proceeded to the party chamber where Rose was introduced to each guest.

Scorpius gazed at Rose the whole night, trying to catch her eye. From across the room, Scorpius raised a glass of butterbeer and smirked ever so devilishly at her. Rose grabbed a glass of champagne from a nearby table and downed it in one gulp.


	5. Hating Puberty

January marked the beginning of a new year, the resumption of Quidditch matches and, most, importantly, the month when Rose turns fifteen.

Ever since she attended the little Christmas party the Malfoys had the previous month, she never was the same. She felt weird inside, like something has changed. She noticed that every time she passes by a mirror, she tends to stop to look if something about her was out of place; she hated it.

Whenever she noticed Scorpius' slim figure, she pushed away the plate of food she had in front of her; she hated that too. She also remembered the five rules Curtis gave her; she took note of that whenever she could. It was a foreign feeling for her to care about what others thought of her. For once, she thought about being 'delicate', a word that never even crossed her mind before. She hated it all.

Scorpius's face kept running through her thoughts that it distracted her. Whenever she thought about him, she decided to kick or hit something within the vicinity. It didn't go well for her.

One rainy Tuesday, when the Gryffindor Quidditch team was training for their game against Slytherin, Rose was thoroughly distracted.

"_Slytherin,"_ she thought silently. "_We're playing against Slytherin! We have to nail this game, otherwise—"_

Rose's face turned tomato red at the thought of Scorpius.

"_But what would he think of it?" _she contradicted. "_He's not even a good Quidditch player."_

"Heads up, Weasley!" Curtis called out to her when she took a bludger right on the face. Rose got knocked out of her broom easily because of not eating right for days, but was caught by James just before she hit the ground after falling thirty feet.

"Are you mad, Rose!?" James screamed through the pouring rain. "Didn't you see the bludger? The sky's still bright enough for you to see, isn't it? Or have you just gone totally blind!?"

"Well, _sorry _if I inconvenienced you, _Captain!_" she replied sourly as she wiped the blood that poured from her nose on her sleeve.

"Rose, you should go to Madame Pam, now. That's an awful-looking nosebleed." Curtis interrupted.

"I think she looks fine." James bellowed spitefully.

"James!" Curtis cried out disbelievingly at her boyfriend. "I'll go with you Rose, come."

"Forget it," Rose stood up and brushed away the mud from her bum. "I'll go by myself. I wouldn't want to be an even bigger burden to the team."

Rose stomped away angrily as Curtis gave James an angry look.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, James!" Curtis started, picking up her broom. "Be more sensitive to your cousin! She's a girl too, you know."

"No, I didn't know." James replied before flying back up in the air.

Rose walked towards the castle like an ogre. She liked the feeling of anger. It made her feel like herself again; she stomped heavily on the ground, not caring about the blood dripping from her nose, her sopping wet hair or her clothes being entirely covered with mud. No, it was Rose, the Quidditch queen, the all-powerful macho tomboy who played Marcus in the winter play; the super-human beater who pummeled her way through every match. Yes, that was her. She wasn't some wallflower whom everyone admires because of her beauty and grace. She wasn't a porcelain doll who wore fabulous, frilly dresses and had big, bouncy curls. She was Rosaline Weasley; clever, tough and always in control.

Suddenly, Scorpius popped out from a corridor reading a hard-bound book. Rose froze over on her spot. At the sight of Rose, Scorpius dropped his book and took out his handkerchief.

"Rose!" he exclaimed. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"I-" Rose was on the brink of crying because of Scorpius's concern when she reminded herself of her resolve. "I was just going to Madame Pam; bludger hit me on the face."

Rose took his white handkerchief, but his face was still screwed up in horror. Scorpius accompanied her to the infirmary to see Madame Pam, she was mildly surprised at Rose's face.

"Got hit by your own instruments I see." She said in an amused voice. "Never thought I'd see that day you get hit by a bludger."

"That's the both of us." Rose replied. She saw her face in the mirror beside her bed and realized why Scorpius was so appalled upon seeing her; her face was paper white because of all the blood he lost, her nose was broken in several places and her left eye was starting to swell.

"Here we are," Madame Pam wiped the blood on her face with a hot towel and drew out her wand. "Episkey."

With that, Rose's nose returned to its normal state.

"Take this," Madame Pam gave her a small vial with amber liquid inside. "It's going to help lessen the pain from that head trauma."

"Thanks."

"Now, you better change your clothes and get some rest." Madame Pam strode to her office to get a nightgown for Rose.

"Let me get that for you." Scorpius tapped her clothes with his wand and they instantaneously dried up for her.

"I never knew you could cast non-verbal spells." Rose said jealously.

"One of the many things you don't know about me." Scorpius bid her goodnight and went on to have dinner. Rose hated herself for feeling the sinking sensation in her stomach when he went away.

* * *

"Um, Rose, what did you do with your hair?" Al asked his cousin one morning.

"Isn't it obvious? I cut it." Rose replied matter-of-factly as she sat down the table and grabbed some toasted bread.

"Okay, I guess the more appropriate question would be 'Why did you cut it'" Al looked uncomfortable asking the question.

"Because," Rose thought of the excuse for her hair the whole night. "It gets in my eyes when I play Quidditch, blinding me from seeing incoming bludgers, and trust me, we don't want that in this Saturday's match against Slytherin.

"But," Al boldly continued. "You never failed to see a bludger even with your old hair. You just kept it in a tight bun."

"Well, it's growing too long for me to handle." Rose stuffed her mouth with some sausages. The truth was, she cut her hair to make her feel less girly and sensitive. She almost cried the other night when Scorpius saw her all bloody and spangled. It would've been the first time she ever cried in ten years if she didn't suppress her tears. No, she was not going to take a chance. She's got to toughen herself up until this phase of weakness is over.

From across the room, Rose didn't dare peek at Scorpius' face. Her hair was so short that it barely touched the back of her neck; it made her feel liberated. It was an awfully nice feeling; it got rid of her self-consciousness for a while.

* * *

"Is there something you want to talk about, Rose?"

Rose cried into her pillow one Saturday evening, still in her Quidditch gear. They had lost the match against Slytherin. Although James told her through gritted teeth that it wasn't her fault, she knew it was. She kept missing the bludger when she aimed to hit it, which made her look like a monkey swinging a bat on a broomstick. She failed to fend off the bludgers that flew towards the chasers, causing the opponent to score 130 points ahead of them. She even accidentally hit James with her bat when she missed a bludger. In the end, Gryffindor got the snitch but Slytherin won by twenty points more than them.

Curtis entered her dormitory room and sat on her bed; she already changed into her casual clothes.

"Look, it wasn't your-"

"Don't give me that dung, Curtis because I know that it _was_ my bloody fault why we lost!" Rose retorted through sobs. "I'm not as stupid as you think I am, okay?"

"Stop blaming yourself, Rose. We are a team and if we lose or win, it's not the fault of a single person."

"I used to love Quidditch more than anything in the world! Now, I can't think straight and I keep making mistakes! I am so confused. What is bloody wrong with me, Curtis?" Rose sat up and looked her straight on the face with her teary eyes.

"Used to?" Curtis shot her a furtive glance. She smiled at her meaningfully. "Rose, all these things you're feeling right now are just normal. There's nothing wrong with them. We all go through them as we get older. Maybe you should stop rejecting your own feelings and start facing them. I know what you're trying to do; you want to stay a kid forever, but you can't. You're turning fifteen next week; you better start acting like an adult and get rid of all this wishy-washy nonsense."

"What do you mean?" Rose wiped her eyes on her sleeves. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"The only way you're going to get rid of these feelings is if you're going to embrace them until you're used to them. I know how I felt when _I_ had my first crush"

"What?" Rose blushed profusely. "Who said anything about crushes?"

"Oh, Rose." Curtis gave her a pat on the back. "You're not a child anymore, time to grow up."

Curtis left Rose on her bed, baffled by the sudden surge of realizations and confusing feelings attacking her all at the same time. How she hated puberty.

**

* * *

Dear Aunt Ginny,**

**I know it's quite embarrassing for me to write to you about this but I didn't know who else to turn to. You're the only person I know who can help me on this and at the same time won't blab to dad. For the past few weeks, I've been feeling funny about this person and about myself. I've been so distracted and conscious about what I looked like. Just last week I got hit by a bludger during Quidditch practice. Imagine, **_**I**_** actually got hit by an actual bludger! The reason for that miracle was because I constantly thought of **_**that**_** person while I was on the broom. Also, I sheared my hair so short because I thought it would gain me back my sanity and not care so much about what **_**he **_**thought of me, but I was wrong. Gryffindor lost the Quidditch match against Slytherin last Saturday because of me, more importantly because I kept looking at **_**that**_** person on the stands. I feel so stupid. I have never felt more stupid in my entire life! What should I do Aunt Ginny? This person, I used to hate him then we became friends and now this! I'm going mad! I never used to feel this way! What should I do? Please tell me right away.**

**P.S. In case this owl might get intercepted, I will no longer sign this letter for you already know who I am. **

* * *

January flew by so fast and was swept away by February. Rose loathed that month during that particular year. She felt like everything around her was teasing or mocking her. The tables at the Great Hall were decorated by nosegays of red roses and pink ribbons. Everywhere she looked there were couples exchanging Valentines' cards or chocolates in heart-shaped boxes.

"A rose for a lovely Rose?" Barney McLaggen was particularly on top of her hate list that month. He kept sending her roses, probably thinking that it amused _Rose_ to be given flowers of the same name.

"Bite me, McLaggen." She answered dully during the thirteenth of February.

"But, it's the night before Valentine's Day; you should at least accept it." Barney grinned widely. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Yes, but you're forgetting, it's also Friday the 13th," Rose took a bite from a turkey leg. "Which means it's not your lucky day."

Rose smiled to herself at the apparent coincidence. Al and Lily laughed at her side. Rose peered at the other side of the Great Hall where Scorpius and his Slytherin friends were all laughing at their own private joke. She saw the small pile of chocolates on Scorpius' side given to him by his own admirers. She felt irate and stuffed her mouth with more turkey.

She slid her hand into her pocket where her Aunt Ginny's reply letter was, the one which she already memorized because of reading it too much.

_Dear Rose,_

_I'm honored that you have entrusted me with this confession of yours because it only shows how much you trust me. I experienced the same thing when I was young, even younger than you actually. When I first saw the famous Harry Potter, I felt like my heart was going to explode. I was ten years old then. I had a humongous crush on him which continued to grow every time I saw him. I couldn't even speak to him until your mother advised me to get on with my life and act normally. I followed her advice and dated a few other guys. During fifth year, we got together. I could almost have kissed your mother, then. You see this person you're talking about? You fancy him so bad that you're lovesick over him. I felt the same with your Uncle Harry but the only difference is you're trying to convince yourself that you're not. Don't. If you like him so bad, tell him so. I even had to wait for Harry to notice me but you, you don't have to. I'm sure Scorpius Malfoy fancies you too. Just make sure you don't mention that to your father yet; he'll go berserk._

_With Love,_

_Aunt Ginny_

Confess to Scorpius? It made her stomach do back flips and somersaults. It made her feel so nauseous that her face almost turned green.

"Are you feeling alright Rose?" Al inquired upon seeing the change in Rose's color. "You look funny."

"Yeh look like your father when he was gonna throw up some slugs back in the day."

"Hagrid!" Lily squealed. "When did you come back?"

"Jus' yesterday," Hagrid beamed at the children; they reminded him so much of Harry, Ron and Hermione. "Meant'a give summat to yeh, Rosie. Fer yer bir'day, yeh know."

"For me?" Hagrid handed her a small parcel with a pink bow. Opened the box and a beautiful locket met her eyes. "Wow, thanks Hagrid!"

She opened the locket and a scene from her childhood came out. It was when she was just three years old, learning how to ride a broom.

"You can view your own memories in it, Rosie." Hagrid explained.

"Wicked! You don't need a pensieve anymore." Al remarked.

"No' quite. Only mem'ries of the one who holds it ca' be seen." Hagrid replied. "I go' 'em trinkets fro' France. They go' a whole bunch'o those there."

"This is so awesome, Hagrid, thank you!" Rose smiled joyfully.

"Don' mention it. 'least I could do fer missin' yer bir'day."

* * *

Rose couldn't sleep. She kept looking at her memories in the locket Hagrid gave her. She didn't know if it was intentional or not but she always saw the memories she had with Scorpius.

She got up from her bed and put on a coat over her nightgown. She wanted to go down to the kitchen and get a cup of something. James had shown her and Al how to get it the kitchen during their third year.

"Lumos." Her wand lit up to guide her through her excursion. Upon opening the portrait door, she was greeted by a low 'Ow!'

"That hurt!" cried the voice from outside.

"Scorpius? Is that you?" Rose inquired, recognizing the voice.

"Yes." He replied as he rubbed his throbbing forehead.

"What are you doing here?"

"I had something to give you, but I only just remembered that I didn't know how to get inside."

"Well, that's silly of you." Rose stepped out of the portrait hole, noting how cold the floor was without her slippers. "Couldn't it have waited until morning?"

"No, I-" Scorpius grabbed a velvet box from inside his robes. "Here, I-I didn't know it was your birthday."

"It was actually two weeks ago." Rose took the box.

"Sorry, then." Scorpius looked like he wanted to punch himself.

Rose opened the box and found a circular foggy orb. Beside it was a small key attached to a necklace.

"What's this?" Rose asked curiously. Scorpius told her to insert the key into the small hole on the orb and wind it up.

Suddenly, it started to play a sweet but slow melancholic tune. It enticed Rose so much that she forgot how cold her feet were and felt warmth crawl into her heart.

"Come, there's still more to that!" Scorpius grabbed her hand and brought her to the astronomy tower where the moon shone brightly.

"Scorpius, what are we doing here?" Rose demanded.

"Raise the orb to the moonlight." Rose looked hesitant but she did as she was told and she gasped at what she saw.

"Mermaids!" she cried out in astonishment. "I never saw real mermaids before."

"Those are the mermaids in the lake."

"In Hogwarts' lake?" Rose asked with widened eyes. "They're so charming."

Scorpius sighed with relief and gazed out at the moon.

"I'm glad you liked it." Scorpius smiled. "You never told me it was your birthday. I was shocked when I found out this morning."

"Then how did you get this gift on such short notice?"

"I meant it to be a Valentine's gift. I'll just get you another one." Scorpius stroked Rose's crop with an amused expression. "I love what you've done with your hair by the way."

"You're joking, right?"

"No, as a matter-of-fact, I'm not." Scorpius laughed out heartily. Rose smiled at him; she liked the sound of his laugh.

"Scorpius," this was it, Rose thought nervously. "I think I-."

"I know." Scorpius smirked as he said that.

"Really?" Rose was taken aback.

"But I happen to know that I love everything about you, Rose. Absolutely everything."

"That's," Rose looked at her watch, it was exactly twelve midnight. "That's nice."

"Rose," Scorpius kissed her hand, a notion she was all too familiar with. "Happy Valentine's day"


	6. New Bonds Made

It was a warm summer night. Professor McGonagall sat in her study, flitting through her papers with her old, withered hand. Mr. Potter had sent her an owl saying he was going to visit with his two friends at exactly seven pm. She glanced at her large, grandfather clock and noted that it was 2 minutes until seven; they should floo in pretty soon. By the time the clock struck seven, Harry Potter stepped out of her fire grate wearing a burgundy shirt and black pants; it was too hot to wear robes. He was followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley looking as red as his hair.

"'Evening Minerva." Harry calmly greeted.

"Oh, good evening, Mr. Potter, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley." The couple nodded at the greeting. "I assume you're here to pick up Lily and Hugo? That big explosion in the bathroom has knocked them both unconscious. I should think they both need time at St. Mungo's seeing as they each have sprouted a wing and a tail because of the potion they were concocting."

"Yes, and I've heard they also blew open the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets." Harry remarked.

"I wouldn't call that much of an achievement, Mr. Potter." Professor McGonagall replied sternly.

"We know about that, Professor but that's not the only reason we've come." Ron tried to contain himself. "Is it true about Rose and that bloody Malfoy kid?"

Professor McGonagall grinned like a cat. She was amused beyond words.

"Whatever _are _you talking about, Mr. Weasley?"

"You know _clearly_ to what I am implying, Minerva."

"To whatever it is you are implying to, I have no business with." The Professor responded coolly. "It is quite amusing though that whenever I see those two, I am reminded of how Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger used to loathe each other. It is ironic to see exact versions of you two doing the exact opposite of what you were doing back then."

"That was what I was afraid of!" Ron ejaculated hysterically. "Now, all I'll ever see is Hermione and Malfoy spending _lovey-dovey_ time with each other whenever I see Rose and Scorpius!"

Harry and Hermione chuckled at Ron's jealous tendencies.

"What are you worrying about Ron?" Hermione asked. "We're already married. It's not like I _had_ a past with Draco or something."

"Why are you calling him Draco?" Ron shot back.

Professor McGonagall sneered. As a matter of fact, they _did _have a past, one only she and Professor Snape knew.

"Listen," Harry interrupted. "Aren't you just happy, that, for the first time, those ancient prejudices are over?"

"He's right." Professor McGonagall agreed. "Those two youths are living proof that we are now living in an era where love and friendship are not hindered by prejudices about blood. No more pureblood or mudblood nonsense!"

"We should be happy that our children have moved forward and can see beyond a person's heritage, unlike _you_ who still holds a grudge against Malfoy." Hermione noted to Ron.

"Yes, Voldemort's time is long over and Hogwart's is no longer a place for rivalry." Harry paused and looked at the portrait of Albus Dumbledore. "I'm sure that _he_ would've loved to have seen all of these."


End file.
